Meter connection-box.



P. C GRADY.

METER CONNECTION BOX.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 15, 1910 1,024,931, Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

ATTOR/VE V8 prehends an FRANK C. GRADY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

METER CONNECTION-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

Application filed September 15, 1910. Serial No. 582,158.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it ltnown that I, FRANK C. GRADY, a citizen of the United States, and, a resident of Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved Meter Connection-Box, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to connection boxes, my more particular purpose being to produce a good form of connection. box suitable for connecting wires or analogous electrical conductors with electric meters, my invention being especially adapted to facilitate the making and breaking of connections for a number of distinct purposes associated with the meters.

Mv invention further relates to the prov'isicin of a neck for joining my improved connection box with meters of various types.

Reference is to he had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this 813881 fioation, in which similar characters of reterence indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front view partly broken away and part-l in elevation, showing my improved connection box connected with an electric motor oi ordinary construction aid. of a neclr made for this purpose; Fig. 5% is a view partly broken away and partly in side elevation, showing the mechanism appearing in Fig. 1. t

Generally speaking, my invention corni; closing hox' (see upper portions of Figs. and 2) containing various binding posts, conducting bars and the like, most of which are permanently secured in position, the hon being permanently nionnted upon a wall, This box is spaced :1 l ttle distance shove the meter (see lower portions of 1 and 2) which may he oi any proved. t

a A .v, A Q) nn i 1.1M. M

allv 2: fr

e upper c i i c t e meter, so as to e the spec therehetween. l .1 conductors a in. the hex, H other connections within nn-cc bolt, the latter can be used for a large number of purposes, s as testing, changing from one meter to other, or adjusting the meter forvservices of different character.

An electric meter is shown at S and is provided with lugs 9 whereby it may be mounted upon a wall, and is also provided with reading dials 10 for indicating the volts, watts or amperes, as the case may he, passing through the meter. The meter is further provided with a display panel 11 for indicating the general character of the meter.

At 12 is a seal for the meter. A neck 13 fits upon the upper portion of the meter and is provided upon its front face with lugs, 14. This neck would be partially open in front except for a lid 15 which normally keeps it closed. The neck 13 is provided with a back 15 having generally the form of a flat plate and provided with a slot 16, as will be understood from Fig. 2. A screw 16* extends through the slot 16 and may be turned so as to clamp or release thehaclr 1? At 17 is aninclosing bO-X which contains v arious parts hereinafter described, all of said parts, together with the box 17, comprising connection box.

The box 17 is provided with legs 18, 19 whereby it may be temporarily or perms nen tly mounted upon a wall. The logs mentioned are provided with holes 19 19 in order to receive screws thus facilitate their connection with the wall, The box 1? is further provided with a hack 1? having generally the form of a back plate and disposed parallel with the plate 15. loosening the screw 16, the hack 15, conse quently the neck 18 which is integral with it, may he adjusted upwardly or down wardly and thus fitted neatly upon the top of the meter or disconnected therefrom, as the case may he. After the adjustmentis made, the operator, by tightening the screw 16, firmly clamps the hacks 15 1'? together and thus rigidly secures the neck 18 proper pos The box within t ch ore *1. T provide fch annular it s 2' t the 1? and space the piste from.

the

plate 24 and is provided with a binding post 27. A spring clip 28 is also mounted upon the bar 26. Another metallic bar 29 is mounted within the box 17. This last-mentioned bar is provided at its lower end with a binding post 30. The bar 29 is further proiided with a port-ion 31 extending horizontally, as will be seen from Fig. 1.

Mounted upon the bar 29 is a spring clip 32 which is in registry with the spring clip 28. A binding post 33 is mounted upon the portion 31. The clips 28, 32 are adapted to hold a fuse 34: which, however, is not used upon all occasions and is removable. At 35 is a spacing partition made of: insulating material and extending some little distance outwardly from the plate 24. A screw 36 holds the partition 35 in position. Other spacing partitions 37 38 are made of insulating material and are mounted in vertical alinement with the spacing partition as will be understood from Fig. 1. A screw 39 extends through the spacing partition 37; this screw and the screw 36 extend through the annular lugs (see Fig. 2) and assist in holding the plate 24 upon the back 17.

Disposed adjacent to the spacing partition is a metallic bar 40 provided with a binding post a l. Adjoining the bar 40 and i tegral with it is another bar 42 provided with a binding post 43. Mounted near the upper edge of the plate 2 1 is a binding post wnich is connectedwith a metallic bar 45, this bar being in contact with the bar 40. A bar 16 leads from the bar 45 to a binding post l7, and the bars e5, 46 are sunken into the back face of the plate 24. Spring clips e3, 49, are connected together and are in communication with the bar 45, and conse quently with the bar 46. A spring clip 50 is mounted upon a metallic bar 51 and is in alinement with the spring clip 48. ii bindng post 59 is mounted upon the lower end i the metallic bar 51. The metallic bars 6 L0, 29 and 51 are provided with contact l s 28*, 28 23, 28 which may be used terminals of the testing ino the binding post etet is a spac- 53 and next to the latter is a This binding post is conmetallic bar 55 with another 39s 56 disposed near the bottom he plate 24. A metallic bar 57 is with bi. ing post as, and mountupon this bar is a spring clip it me 1 int l with the metallic bar zontally theretron" and eluding post 61.

62 is mounted upon tl lower end of the metallic bar 57. Two other binding posts 63 64 are connected together by a metallic bar 65. Spacing partitions 66, 68 are secured in position by aid of screws 67, 69,'as above explained with reference to the securing of the spacing partitions 35, 37 by aid of the screws 36, 39.

A metallic bar 70 is disposed vertically near one edge of the plate 24. Another metallic bar 71 is disposed horizontally and is integral with the bar 70. Mounted upon the upper end of the bar 70 is a binding post 72 and upon the lower end of this bar is another binding post 73. A metallic bar 74 connects together two binding posts 75, 76. At 77 is a fuse which is mounted in the clips 48, 50 but which is not in all instances'essential. The fuse clips 49, 59 are arranged in alinement with each other and are adapted to temporarily hold a fuse 49.

"To the left of the fuse 77 is a binding post 7 8 mounted upon the bar 71.

The operation of my device is as follows: The meter 3 being connected with the box, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, and the various electrical connections being made, the meter is tested in accordance with well known rules or otherwise, as desired. The arrangement of the various electrical connections is very convenient for making tests of diherent kinds and with meters varying in character.

Having thus described. my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by letters Patent:

1. The combination of a box-like member provided with a back plate, a neck movable relatively to said box-like member and provided with a portion for engaging a meter and with a flat portion having a slot, a bolt extending through said slot and engagii'ig said plate for the purpose of clamping said neck relatively to said lJOX-lli-i member.

2. The combination of a box-lil te member provided with a back plate, a neck movable relatively to said box-like member and provided with a portion. engaging said baclt: plate, means for clamping said portion in different posit-ions relative to said bacl: plat-e, an electric meter engaging said lI, binding posts upon said meter, binding posts mounted within said box-litre member, and conductors extending said bindin posts upon said meter to said binding within said bo -litre member.

In testimon name to thi sp iti two subscribing i C. llii'i 'li'. Witne. 

